Turok 2 Blasts the Competition

by JACK VASVARY

Turok 2 is an enormous improvement from the original. First of all, there are area-sensitive injuries, so if you shoot an enemy in the head, it will die right away. If you shoot it in the leg, it may hesitate for a moment and then continue its attack. This is usually effective, even with the larger, more powerful enemies.

There are even more weapons to choose from this time around. Each has a sleeker look and the blasts from the weapons look much better than they did in the original. There are two additions to your weapon capabilities in the game. You can select from two ways of choosing your weapon. You also get to choose which type of ammunition you want to use for a particular weapon. For instance, if you want to conserve explosive shells for your shotgun, you can switch to regular shells.

There are also upgrades for certain weapons. For instance, you start off with the talon. Later in the game, you will find an upgrade for it called the war blade. As with the ammunition, you can toggle between the original weapon and its upgrade.

The arrows are also different in the sequel. In the original, if you shot an enemy with an arrow, you lost the arrow. In Turok 2, the arrows stick in the enemies and you can pull them out and reuse them after you kill your enemy. The only time you will lose an arrow is if you use them to blow up the many barrels found throughout the game.

With the addition of the area sensitive injuries, Turok 2 has a larger variety of ways to kill your enemies. For example, you can shoot their limbs off, blow holes through their bodies or decapitate them. I must warn you though, some of these ways of killing your enemies are quite graphic. It almost makes me wonder what is going on in the heads of the designers of the game.

The artificial intelligence has been enhanced since the first game. Now enemies will duck for cover or hide behind boxes to shield themselves from your attacks. You can also sneak up on them if you're quiet, but if they hear you...au revoir my friend.

Turok 2 is one of the first games to make use of the new expansion pak for the N64. This accessory enhances the graphics to the game. I haven't used it yet, but I hear that there is a large difference in graphic quality. You have two choices in graphic resolution in the game. Low resolution is the default full screen setting. The other is a high resolution wide screen format with enhanced graphics. If you're worried that the graphics will suck without the Expansion Pak, don't worry. The low resolution graphics without the Expansion Pak are top of the line.

If you're looking for a kick-ass, in-your-face first-person shooter game, Turok 2 is your best bet. Believe me, you won't be sorry. By the way, be sure to check out the beginning animation with the iguana. In the first game, Turok shoots at it and scares it off. In Turok 2, let's just say, the iguana gets revenge!

*Special cheat code*- Enter "bewareoblivionisathand" (it's easier to remember as: "beware oblivion is at hand")

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